A major health survey released today shows Canadian post-secondary students feel stressed and overwhelmed — some have even considered suicide.

More than 30,000 students at 34 colleges and universities were surveyed for the nationwide study, which was conducted by the Canadian Organization of University and College Health.

Almost 90 per cent of students said that they felt overwhelmed by all they had to do in the past year, more than 50 per cent said they felt hopeless and 63 per cent said they felt very lonely.

The survey also paints a worrying picture on the issue of suicide, with 9.5 per cent of students saying they had seriously considered taking their own lives in the past year, while 1.3 per cent said they had attempted suicide.

Dr. Su-Ting Teo (TEE-o), director of student health and wellness at Toronto's Ryerson University, says students face a variety of mental health issues and they are not as carefree as the public is led to believe.

OPINION At least part of me wasn’t sure I should write this, given what happened last time. It was August 15, 2003 and like many Thursdays before it, I was scratching around for a column idea. The summer newsroom